Self-cleaning grain gate construction



May 22, 1956 T. BRADSHAW SELF-CLEANING GRAIN GATE CONSTRUCTION FiledFeb. 12, 1955 7740MA5 LBRADSHAW IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,746,656 SELF-CLEANING GRAIN GATECONSTRUCTION Thomas L. Bradshaw, Decatur, Ill. Application February 12,1953, Serial No. 336,489

4 Claims. (Cl. 222--561) This invention relates to a self-cleaning graingate Gate constructions of the above noted general character comprise aframe or housing interposed in a grain delivery conduit and a manuallyoperable gate slidably disposed within such frame or housing adapted tointercept the flow of grain through the conduit.

In such prior constructions, means were provided in the frame or housingfor slidably supporting the gate therein and such means were of suchform as to intercept a part of the grain flowing through the openconduit with a resulting deposit of such grain on the gate supportingmeans. This grain deposit on the gate supporting means or on any portionof the frame or housing contacted by the gate resulted in binding of thegate in its sliding movements to control the flow of grain through theconduit.

In such prior constructions the deposit of. grain on the gate contactingmeans has in fact operated so adversely to the free sliding action ofthe gate that it was necessary to frequently remove the gate, clean it,and then restore it to its operating position, which required an undueexpenditure of time and effort.

It is accordingly a primary object of this invention to provide a gateconstruction for the above noted purpose which wholly overcomes theabove noted objections to prior gate constructions for such purpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gate constructionincluding a housing interposed in a grain delivery conduit and aslidable gate supported by the housing, and wherein means are providedwithin the housing for slidable support of the gate which offer noobstruction to the free flow of grain through the conduit.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent inthe course of the following detailed description, taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. l is a perspective View asobserved from the bottom and front end of the gate construction andshowing same in position within a grain delivery conduit, the gate beingshown in closed grain flow intercepting position.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view showing the gate construction at theoperating end thereof.

Fig. 3 is a broken top plan view with the gate shown closed in solidlines and open in dotted lines.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view in the 2,746,656Patented May 22, 1956 ice plane of line 4-4 on Fig. 3 and showing thegate in open position.

Fig. 5 is a broken bottom plan view.

, 'Referring now in detail to the drawing,

The improved gate construction includes a housing 10 which as shown maybe formed unitary with the conduit or chute which includes an upper tube11 of'any desired predetermined length and a lower tube 12 also of anypredetermined length.

The housing 10 comprises a top wall 13, a bottom wall 14 disposedvertically beneath the top wall in parallel relation thereto, oppositeside walls 15, a rear end wall 16 and a front end wall 17, together witha transverse partition wall 18 disposed in parallel longitudinallyspaced relation to the front wall 17 and on the same side of tubes 11and 12 as the said front wall.

The top wall 13, side walls 15 and rear end wall 16 all act as completeclosures for the housing. The bottom wall 14, however, is open betweenthe side walls 15 and the front end wall 17 and partition wall 18 as isclearly shown in Fig. 5. The lower edges of the side walls 15 and thefront end wall 17 within the said opening in the bottom wall arereinforced by angle irons 19.

A pair of cylindrical gate supporting rods 20 extend longitudinallywithin the housing with each thereof disposed adjacent to but in spacedrelation to a respective side wall 15 and the opposite ends of the rodsare suitably secured to the rear and frontwalls 16 and 17 respectively.

The rods 21) at points intermediate their ends extend throughcorresponding apertures in the partition wall 18. The uppermost surfacesof the pair of rods 20 are in a horizontal plane and the front wall 17and partition wall 18 are provided with transversely extending slots 21and 22 respectively whose lower edges are in the said plane.

A relatively thin rectangular gate 23 extends through the slots 21 and22 and has its lower face in bearing engagement with the uppermostsurfaces of the rods 20.

The gate 23 is provided with a suitable hand engageable handle 24 at thefront end thereof.

As will be seen upon inspection of Fig. 3, the cylindrical space withinthe aligned tubes 11 and 12 is wholly unobstructed when the gate 23 isin its open position whereby the grain will not be interrupted in itsdownward flow. However, upon choking of the flow as at the point ofdelivery of the grain, some thereof will move into the housing and intocontact with the gate supporting and guiding means.

The construction in accordance with the present invention, however, issuch that the gate will not be subjected to binding action as the resultof accumulated grain on or in the vicinity of the supporting and guidingmeans for the following reasons. The rods 20 which form the majorsupport for the gate 23 are cylindrical and consequently grain cannotlodge thereon. Furthermore by spacing the said rods from the side walls15, grain cannot cake up between the rods and side walls.

Also the edges of the gate guide slots 21 and 22 act as scrapers formaintaining both the upper and lower surfaces of the gate free of graindeposits which may be discharged through the opening in the bottom wall.

While I have disclosed my invention in accordance with a single specificstructural embodiment thereof, such is to be considered as illustrativeonly, and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being defined inthe subjoined claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

l. A gate construction for controlling the flow of grain through aconduit including a hollow rectangular housing member disposed betweenadjacent inner ends of tubes, said housing member being of greater widthand length than the diameter of the tube ends connected therewith, saidhousing member including a top wall connected with the inner end of onetube, said top wall covering the remainder of the rectangular housingmember, side Walls and end walls for the housing member of length andwidth respectively of the top wall of the rectangular housing member, abottom wall for the housing member connected to the inner end of theother tube, said bottom Wall extending from one end wall of the housingmember around the last mentioned tube but short of the other end wall ofthe housing member, a partition wall extending from adjacent the topwall to the end of the bottom wall, the last mentioned end wall of thehousing member having a slot therein substantially the width of theinner width of the housing member and a slidable rectangular gatesupported in said slot of the end wall and supported on the top of thepartition wall to close communication between the pipe ends.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the sliding gate is alsosupported on cylindrical rods in lateral spaced relation to each of saidside walls, the rods being out of alignment with the openings of theinner ends of said tubes so as not to obstruct the flow of grain betweenthe tube ends when the gate is open.

3. The structure according to claim 8, wherein the uppermost surface ofsaid rods is in a plane including the lower surface of said slot in saidfront wall and the top of said partition wall.

4. A gate construction for controlling the flow of grain through aconduit including a hollow rectangular housing member disposed betweenadjacent inner ends of tubes, said housing member being of greater widthand length than the diameter of the tube ends connected therewith, saidhousing member including a top wall connected with the inner end of onetube, said top wall covering the remainder of the rectangular housingmember, side walls and end walls for the housing member of length andwidth respectively of the top wall of the rectangular housing member, abottom Wall for the housing member connected to the inner end of theother tube, said bottom wall extending from one end wall of the housingmember around the last mentioned tube but short of the other endwall ofthe housing member, a partition wall extending from adjacent the underside of the top wall to the end of the bottom wall, reinforcing angleirons at the lower edges of said side walls and said front end wallbetween said last mentioned front end wall and said partition wall, thelast mentioned end wall of the housing member having a slot thereinsubstantially the width of the inner Width of the housing member and aslidable rectangular gate supported in said slot and on the top of thepartition wall to close communication between the pipe ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,308,842 Clifton July 8, 1919 1,667,690 Hamm Apr. 24, 1928 1,984,872Frahm Dec. 18, 1934 2,079,896 Brosins May 11, 1937 2,111,915 MacMillinMar. 22, 1938

